Crisis, sustainability and innovation

Innovations can help us find new solutions, useful both in crisis management and in our quest for sustainable development. How can we act sustainably in times of crisis?

This course increases your knowledge and understanding of the importance of innovations for crisis management and sustainable development.

What does the course lead to?

This course focuses on the linkages between crisis management, sustainable development and innovation. The course addresses methods and tools in crisis management, and United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in relation to crisis and innovation. A socio-technical approach towards crisis and sustainability is used throughout the course, including human behavior in times of crisis, perceptions towards sustainable development, and ethics. The course covers planning, management, innovation and development of sustainable solutions in society.

The structure of the course

During the course, you will gain knowledge and understanding of theoretical concepts in crisis management, sustainable development and innovation. You will discuss examples of solutions in different crisis scenarios which also support the Sustainable Development Goals. You must also demonstrate that you have learned to identify social and technical perspectives towards crisis, sustainability and innovation. You will do this through written assignments, in which you reflect on literature on the topic, and through discussion of other students’ work.

The course runs as a distance course, consisting of two parts. The first part consists of three modules, introducing the students to the topics crisis, sustainability and innovation. Each module includes lectures, which partly may be recorded, and seminars, in which active participation is required. You are expected to independently study the literature and write an individual report on each of the topics crisis, sustainability and innovation. The purpose of the lectures is to introduce the basic concepts and key literature. The seminars aim to deepen the student’s understanding of the topics, and gain insights using the perspectives of other students. The second part of the course aims to link the three modules through a practical application. In this part, you will work on a project. This part includes a presentation of your results and discussion with other students.